Melody of Life
by Lady Midnight07
Summary: Abandoned by his parents, in favour of his brother, little Harry is sent to live with his other relatives. He lives in their "tender and loving" care until one night when it becomes too much. He runs into the forest and here everything changes…


Halloween was a peaceful night in Little Whinging. Everything was quiet, only the soft breeze zipped through the abandoned streets. The full moon shined on the sky and illuminated the homes, where all of its inhabitants were soundly asleep. Its light also reached a small clearing in the forest, not so far away, where a small boy was sitting alone underneath a tree.

The boy possessed messy black hair, pale, almost milky skin and bright emerald green eyes that stood out from behind his thick-framed glasses. Another thing standing out on the boy was his painfully thin and small frame, which often caused people to think the boy was eight, instead of his real age. However, what stood out the most, and would make many people horrified, were the bruises covering the boy´s body. Bruises, several of which were in the shape of a large hand, mixed with old scars were all over the boy, which were barely hidden by the oversized shirt the boy was wearing. A shirt, which did little to protect the eight and half-year-old from the cold night.

Shivering as another breeze came by, little Harry tried to curl into himself on bench, but in that motion, he accidentally pressed on his bleeding behind. A quiet hiss escaped him, but he managed to push some of the pain down. But the tears were a lost battle, freely falling down his face. A small whimper left the boy´s mouth, followed by a sob. And then another. And another. He was so scared and he didn´t understood anything.

Who was that man?

Why his uncle did even brought him home?

What right did the man have to do something like this?

Why him?

Why did it happened?

Was it because he was a freak and because of all the freakishness he did without even meaning to?

His aunt said he was an abomination and that freaks like him shouldn´t even exist. That his own parents, whom he thought dead from a drunk car accident, up until his uncle corrected him in one of his drunk tirades, couldn´t stand his presence in their household and abandoned him here.

Were they right?

Did he really deserved everything that happened to him?

Did he truly deserve no love?

Harry didn´t know.

He just understood that he couldn´t stay here. So he ran out of the house the first he got, which occurred when his freakishness reacted and knocked out the unknown man, along with his family. He didn´t stop until he reached this small clearing. And now the little boy had no idea what he was going to do.

Unbeknown to him, he wasn´t as alone in the forest as he thought. Sitting underneath the bushes was a cat with black fur and a white, star-shaped mark on its chest. Its violet eyes were locked on the boy, intensively watching him, as if searching for something.

Whether she found it or not was unknown, because a pair of fellow black cats appeared. One had long fur with bluish tint, a mane that resembled a lion´s and a moon-shaped mark on the chest and glowing sapphire eyes. The second cat had short, slock fur that let its dark skin shine through. She too, had a white mark on her chest, in the shape of the sun, and her copper eyes looked around the park, curious and eager, before landing on the boy.

"That´s him, sister?" she asked in an excited whisper, with a surprisingly human voice. "The boy that was so kind to you today? The one who will receive your blessing?"

"Yes, it is him," nodded the violet-eyed cat, finally looking away from the small child.

"That´s great, but… why is he here alone? Shouldn´t he be with his family?" asked the copper-eyed cat confused. "And what is he wearing? I don´t know that much about human customs, but shouldn´t he wear more clothes? It is cold, by mortal standards…"

"You are right, dear Synova," nodded the blue-eyed cat. "Which makes me more curious about what´s going on. After all, you normally don't need to call us to give a blessing. So can you enlighten us, Hesper?"

"I can, Leola. I called you because I need your help. You see I had my suspicions that not everything is right in the little one´s home. And as it seems, I was right," replied the violet-eyed cat.

"What do you suspect, dear?" asked Leola with narrowed eyes.

"The child is abused. Badly, if I have to go by what I saw was anything to go by," said Hesper seriously.

Both of her companions froze, before their demeanour changed, fury clearly written on their faces.

"Then why didn´t you already place the child with another family and curse his original one?" asked Synova with a quiet growl.

"Useless you think a forest is the right place for a child," drawled out Leola, her fluffy tail twitching angrily.

"By Nyx no!" hissed Hesper. "I wanted to take the child, but something prevented me. A magical barrier, if I have to be precise."

"What?" gasped Synova, while Leola´s eyes narrowed further and the long-haired cat said what all three of them thought: "Someone from the Magical world deliberately placed the child here."

Hesper nodded. But before she could continue a soft noise drew their attention back to the boy. He now had his eyes closed, tears still running down his cheeks, head tilted back, letting the moonlight shine on his face. His lips moved and through shaky breaths, he sang in a quiet, but surprisingly powerful voice.

"_What doesn't kill you_

_Makes you wish you were dead_

_Got a hole in my soul growing deeper and deeper_

_And I can't take_

_One more moment of this silence_

_The loneliness is haunting me_

_And the weight of the world's getting harder to hold up_

_It comes in waves, I close my eyes_

_Hold my breath and let it bury me_

_I'm not OK and it's not all right_

_Won't you drag the lake and bring me home again…"_

All three cats were saddened as they listened to the song, which, by normal means, no child should sing. They looked at each other, reaching a silent agreement together.

Suddenly they sensed another presence nearby. They looked after it and froze.

"No way," whispered Synova.

"It can´t be…" Leola couldn´t believe it.

"Abel?"

"… _Who will fix me now?_

_Dive in when I'm down?_

_Save me from myself_

_Don't let me drown_

_Who will make me fight?_

_Drag me out alive?_

_Save me from myself_

_Don't let me drown_

_What doesn't destroy you_

_Leaves you broken instead_

_Got a hole in my soul growing deeper and deeper_

_And I can't take_

_One more moment of this silence_

_The loneliness is haunting me_

_And the weight of the worlds getting harder to hold up…"_

The boy kept singing, unaware of the dark being standing half-hidden on the other side of the clearing.

It seemed like a male, but clearly not human. His waist-long silver hair contrasted with its charcoal black skin. He wore nothing but a simple robe, which was burned and torn, in a way that exposed the gloving, silver tribal marking covering his torso and shoulders.

But what was the biggest clue to his inhuman origin, was a pair of wings growing from his back. Their black feathers reflected the moonlight, gaining a silver glow.

"_It comes in waves, I close my eyes_

_Hold my breath and let it bury me_

_I'm not OK and it's not all right_

_Won't you drag the lake and bring me home again_

_Who will fix me now?_

_Dive in when I'm down?_

_Save me from myself_

_Don't let me drown_

_Who will make me fight?_

_Drag me out alive?_

_Save me from myself_

_Don't let me drown…"_

Electric-blue eyes were fixed upon the child, heir gaze soft and gentle. "Master," he whispered in a chocked voice. It seemed as if he was fighting back tears.

With inaudible steps, he made his way towards the small child.

"… _Because you know that I can't do this on my own_

_Because you know that I can't do this on my own_

_Because you know that I can't do this on my own_

_Who will fix me now?_

_Who will fix me now?_

_Who will fix me now?_

_Dive in when I'm down?_

_Save me from myself_

_Don't let me drown…"_

"… _Don´t let me drown_," Harry finished, before burying his face into his knees, his little form quivering with each shaky breath he took.

He never saw the dark _angel_ nearing until he knelt in front of him and reached out. A clawed black hand caressed his hair, making the boy jump back in fright.

"Please don´t hurt me! I didn´t want to do it!" Harry cried out, instinctively moving his arms to protect his head.

"Master!" he heard a shocked gasp before a surprisingly gentle voice said: "I would never hurt you, young Master. Of that, I can assure you."

Harry didn´t believe the unknown man. His relatives had once played him like this. He would never fall for this trick twice. Instead, he prepared for any beating that would surely follow.

The _angel_ looked at the child, both saddened and enraged by his reaction. Part of him wanted to go and kill whoever had hurt his master and made him instinctively react like this. Another, much stronger part of him, however, wanted to comfort his master.

And he did just that.

Carefully, he reached out with his wings, until the tips of the black feathers touched the child. As they caressed him gently, he started crooning, slowly pumping some of his magic into his vocal cords. He tried to focus it on the feeling of safety and calmness, his eyes watched as the little one´s demeanour changed. It took some time, but the body muscles, which were tense as if ready to run at the first chance, slowly relaxed. When the little hands uncurled from fists, he reached out and touched one of the small wrists.

Immediately the boy tensed, so the _angel_ pushed more magic into his voice and kept crooning until he was calm again. He took the little wrists into his hands and pulled them away from the child´s head, then pushed them down onto his sides. He made sure to avoid sudden movements as he let go of the wrists and a finger underneath his chin, making the other look up at him.

Harry was hesitant, eyes closed at first, but then he slowly opened them. A gasp left his mouth as he finally took in the other´s appearance. "W-Who are you?" he asked before he could stop himself.

The _angel_ gave him a small smile. "My name is Abel and I´m a friend, child."

"A friend?" repeated the boy, confused. Then his eyes widened. "A-Are you a freak like me?"

The now identified Abel´s smile seemed to falter a bit before it returned. "Some people called me that. But tell me, child, why do _you_ call yourself that?"

"B-Because my relatives call me that. A-And because it is true…"

"And why is it true?"

Harry mumbled something, but the other didn´t catch it.

"Can you repeat yourself? I don´t think I heard you," asked him, Abel, gently.

"Because not even my parents wanted me and left me," said the raven-haired child.

"I see," said the older male in an emotionless voice. For a moment his eyes hardened, but as quickly as it happened, it disappeared and was replaced by sadness and care. "I just realized I´m at disadvantage here, as you know my name, bud I don´t know yours. Can you tell it to me, little one?"

"Harry, sir," replied the child.

"Nice to meet you," smiled Abel. "Now, Harry, do you want me to tell you a story?"

"Um, yes?" said Harry unsurely.

"Great!" proclaimed Abel, clasping his hands together. "Before we start, tell me – what do you know about magic?"

"Magic is evil. Magic doesn´t exist," answered Harry immediately, albeit to Abel it didn´t seem like the child´s own opinion. More like he was forced to repeat it again and again until he said it without thinking.

Abel let out a sigh, forcing back the urge to kill somebody, and ask: "But how can something that doesn´t exist be evil? That contradicts, don´t you think?" Seeing the other´s hesitation, he tried a different approach: "Harry, did ever strange things happened to you? Things that you could never explain? Things that, by normal means, shouldn´t even be possible?"

"Y-Yes," whispered Harry, remembering the few accidents that happened to him.

"That was all magic," smiled Abel.

"B-Bu…"

"Harry, do you want to see some proof? A proof of magic and that it can be good?" asked the older male, thinking of the best way to convince the other and looking at his state of clothing, he knew a good one.

"Okay," Harry agreed.

Smiling wider, Abel rose one hand and waved it over the Harry. Seconds later, the oversized shirt the child was wearing changed into a soft, green woollen robe which fit him much better.

Harry gasped looking at himself and then back at Abel. "How did you do it?"

"Magic, little one," answered Abel. "Like I said, it is real. Real and well hidden from the rest of the world. And so are other things, such as witches, wizards and…"

"Dragons?" asked Harry in a hopeful voice.

Abel chuckled. "Yes, dragons too. And unicorns, mermaids, fairies and many other magical animals."

"Really?"

"Really," nodded the older male. He sat down properly on the ground and started again: "Now to the story I wanted to tell you earlier – Many years ago, there existed a very special magical line of wizards called Armenta. The line was special because its members devoted themselves to help the magical creatures. They helped in any way possible, going unbelievable lengths to help their patients, creating effective treatments for even the most aggressive diseases…"

"So they were like doctors?" interrupted Harry curiously.

"Yes, they were," smiled Abel fondly, his blue eyes gaining a strange gleam. "And the creatures were very thankful for that, repaying their debts by providing protection to the wizards. I, myself, am one of the creatures, that sworn themselves to protect the line… Until that _day_," he said with a sigh, fighting the tears that were gathering in his eyes.

"What happened?" asked the child, moving closer to the sad man.

"The Armenta was attacked. By other wizards," answered Abel, gaining a faraway look. "Little one, you have to understand, that wizards were humans and humans are not always good. They all have different views and beliefs. And some… some of them believed that the Armenta was wrong in wanting to help the creatures. So they needed little convincing to follow the suggestion of a very evil wizard, by the name Gellert Grindelwald, to attack. They prepared a trap, taking advantage of the Armenta´s devotion to help and lured them into the place they were ambushed at… I tried… I tried to protect them… b-but the attackers were prepared… We couldn´t do anything and the Armenta… the members were killed…" his voice broke from all the emotions that flooded him. He closed his eyes, the scene of the massacre playing in his mind.

He opened the again, however, when a much smaller hand touched his. He looked at Harry, who was staring back at him with a sad look of his own.

"You did all to protect them. They are not angry with you."

This small whisper made the other blink in surprise, before a sad smile formed on his face. "I know that they aren´t. I just wish I could do more… Thought, perhaps now I got the chance to amend my mistakes." Seeing Harry´s confused look, he elaborated: "You see, after that attack, everybody thought that the Armenta family died out. However, today, I found out that there is a living member left. Today I could feel him calling me and I followed his magic into this country."

"Really?" asked Harry in surprise, looking around. "And where is he?"

"I´m looking at him now," replied Abel, causing the child´s gaze to return back at him. Gently taking the little hands into his, he said: "You little, Harry, are the one I was looking for. You are the last member of the Armenta family."

Harry gasped in shock.

And he wasn´t the only one.

The three cats, hiding in the bushes and listening to the conversation, too, were shocked by this revelation.

"Did you hear that?" asked Synova, looking at her sister.

"Of course we did! We aren´t deaf!" hissed back Leola. "But is it true?"

Hesper nodded. "It must be. Abel wouldn´t be there otherwise."

"How can we even be sure it is really him? I mean, he was supposed to die while defending the Armenta," objected the blue-eyed cat.

Her violet-eyed sister, however, pointed out, "But the body was never found."

"That´s true!" agreed Synova. "And knowing Abel´s race and how much damage he suffered, it probably took a while, before his body healed. Especially without anybody to help him heal."

"You are right," admitted Leola finally, before she looked back at the scene. "So what are we going to do? If the child is an Armenta, then we have to get him somewhere safe."

"Preferably the Manor itself," agreed Synova.

"But wasn´t it sealed away when the line was declared dead?"

"True. Damn it… Then where should we take it?"

"I don´t know. What do you think, Hesper? ...Hesper?"

The blue and copper-eyed cats looked for their third sister, only to see her move towards Abel and Harry. Looking at each other, the cats decided to follow their sister, just as Harry started doubting what Abel told him.

"I don´t think you got the right child," started the little boy. "I mean… I just can´t…"

"Harry, I´m sure I´m right," insisted Abel.

"But how can you be so sure?"

Before Abel could respond another voice … him "If you want a proof, then I know a place, where we can verify it."

Both males looked after the new person and saw a black cat, which Harry immediately recognized. "Kitty! You´re alright! I thought Dudley and his friends hurt you…"

"Oh, they didn´t even touch me, don´t worry, Harry," chuckled the cat, making the little boy rear back in surprise.

"Y-You can talk?" asked Harry.

"Of course I can. And my name is Hesper." The cat paused and looked back over her shoulder. "And these are my younger sisters – Leola and Synova," she introduced the two cats which came to sit by either side of her.

Then she looked back at the boy. "And as I said, I know a place, where you can find your answers. A place, where they can either confirm or deny what Abel told you just now. If you want to, of course."

"I…" Harry hesitated. He looked at each cat and then at Abel before he decided. He took a deep breath and nodded.

Hesper gave an approving nod. "Wise decision. Now the place we need to go to is called Gringotts…"


End file.
